Friday, November 7, 2008

The McPalin Legacy: hate, divisiveness, and exaggerated fears

I am sure many people heard John McCain's conciliatory words on Tuesday night. They were gracious, uplifting, unifying, and all that the McCain many people were attracted to in 2000 represented. Bravo to him.

But that one speech does not wipe out two months of divisive rhetoric, especially about the socialism we must fear from an Obama presidency.

Today's NY Times reports on an surge in gun sales. Many people have been convinced that Obama will take away their guns. Here's what one gun dealer said:

“He wants to take our guns from us and create a socialist society policed by his own police force,” added Mr. Pruett, a former radio personality, of President-elect Barack Obama.

On the day before the election I heard another person proclaim that he would not vote for Obama because he is too close to communism.

As I have said often on this blog, there were many legitimate reasons for some people to oppose Obama. But the fact that he is a socialist or communist leaning is NOT one of them.

This is a legacy of John McCain and his sidekick, Sarah Palin's rhetoric.

Jewish tradition teaches: hachamimhizaharub'devreichem, wise people be careful with your words. Well I would not call politicians necessarily wise but I think the verse is really directed at people who are leaders, i.e. people to whom others look up to....

4 comments:

Inside every one of the fears of Mr. Pruett lies reality, if exagerrated

Michelle Obama, April 2008, Charlotte Observer:"The truth is, in order to get things like universal health care and a revamped education system, then someone is going to have to give up a piece of their pie so that someone else can have more."

Mr. Obama has voiced his desire for more gun control many times

And his call for a national service corps can cause such people to worry, without knowledge it, that it ends up as some kind of Basij.

Ask yourself why John Kennedy's call did not cause such a reaction.

Mr. Obama now has the chance to PROVE to such people that ALL their fears of unfounded, but one.

He is no communist, but he certainly, as his wife and he have expressed many times, sincerely believes one function of govt is to take from some people for the express purpose of giving that fruit of labor and ingenuity (or interest) to others as a frank CHECK drawn on the US treasury.

He is not the only one who has such beliefs.

Let's see what he does about the Fairness Doctrine. He is going to have to reject the actions of Congressional leaders, yet he has already appointed as his FCC transition leader, a well known PROPONENT of same.

Responding to:"He is no communist, but he certainly, as his wife and he have expressed many times, sincerely believes one function of govt is to take from some people for the express purpose of giving that fruit of labor and ingenuity (or interest) to others as a frank CHECK drawn on the US treasury."

I hate to be the one to say it, but our entire government is based on the concept of redistribution of wealth. The government collects taxes, and redistributes that money. If that's socialist, then our entire government is and always has been socialist.

Taxes taken to pay the FBI, buy F-22's, and issue grants via NIH to work on cancer and cardiovascular disease are not the same a moneys taken fpr the specific purpose of getting a check to someone else.

That said, one trillion for banks, etc? $50 B walk around cash for GM and Ford?

Other larger tests await Mr. Obama, and unfortunately they come after the HUGE socialist bailout of banks, insurance companies, brokerages and apparently, the auto industry is up next. It's hard to justify denial of help to individuals, when the state has extended so much to people who spend $138,000 in banquet expenses as part of a $400k week, weeks after getting $80 billion in a bailout. Typically, one even wonders if the present administration even gave any of this such consideration.

deepak actually I feel exactly the opposite.

Communism and socialism fail precisely because it DEMANDS the fruit of your ingenuity and labor as if altruism is a duty. People can demand any damn thing they want, but the moment people who invent, start, build and create become discouraged, they become just another demanding mouth to feed, and it's the ash heap.

Capitalism succeeds, and our system as set up in 1789 succeeds, PRECISELY because it depends on human weakness for that success.

Humans are not weak, they are terribly weak. Capitalism will always work better.